Sponsored by:

They strove mightily across weeks at the World Cup to rise from the ridiculous all the way to the final in Paris, but how bitterly rapid can the descent the other way be. Once again England turned all the tables, and Wales were perfectly placed to leap over them to achieve a first victory at Twickenham in 20 years. And at the end they were pushing for more, against a home team who had looked in comfortable - too comfortable - control in a first half they won by 10 points.

It was a win facilitated by a return to the ridiculous by England from a position of relative loftiness. Iain Balshaw, so controversial a selection who enjoys something of a love-hate relationship with the Twickenham faithless, was just about in credit across his various contributions going into the endgame. A fumble here, a lacerating break there, it was vintage Balshaw. Alas, though, he was to end his afternoon in the red - red of face to match the red, angry cheeks of Twickenham Man.

With Wales having just charged joyously to a 13-point haul during the course of 10 minutes midway through the second half to level the scores in the most unlikely of fashions, Balshaw had the chance to clear his lines shortly after the restart from Lee Byrne's equalising try. He was too slow, the kick was charged down by Mike Phillips, swept up by Gethin Jenkins, thence to Martyn Williams, Alun Wyn Jones and finally Phillips again, looping round to go over in the corner.

James Hook converted from the touchline to maintain a perfect return of six from six, none of them gimmes, and Wales, practically on their knees at half time, had a seven-point lead with 10 minutes remaining. They would not come close to relinquishing it; indeed they came closer to extending it.

Brian Ashton sat shell-shocked afterwards, and his first words to the press were to reel off the list of the wounded. It was long, four of them taken off before their prime. David Strettle is in danger of becoming a player more dreamt about than watched at Twickers. So brilliantly but fleetingly has he shone, his career so far disrupted by injury, and it was no different here. He lasted 13 minutes before being withdrawn with a foot injury, but it was enough for him to light the place up once more, running a ball back from his 10-metre line deep into the Wales 22 via any number of flailing Welsh fingernails. It was the highlight of the opening exchanges.

Lewis Moody followed him to the sidelines two minutes later, then Moody's replacement, Tom Rees, followed suit at half time, necessitating the deployment of Ben Kay in the back row for the second half. Then Mike Tindall was carried off with rib damage, just before England's world caved in.

Tindall's replacement in the 64th minute was Danny Cipriani, and England had hoped for a more glorious first touch for him than the ignoble scramble on the floor that he was immediately called upon to effect.

Wales, by now starting to win the collisions they had so markedly lost in the first 50 minutes or so, won the ball back. From the scrum, they ran at England with more belief, Gavin Henson following up his untouchable break past Jonny Wilkinson moments earlier with another forceful carry. Then Hook ghosted beautifully through England's blindside to put Byrne over in the 67th minute. That was the game level at 19-19, as well as the cue for Balshaw's dark moment.

Twickenham was stunned. Only 20 minutes earlier whimsical thoughts had turned to the margin of victory, so confident had the men in white seemed. Toby Flood was turning the opposition this way and that, James Haskell was rampaging through the heart of the bewildered Welsh. The youth of England's future was shining bright.

Strettle's departure did no more to kill the excitement, as his replacement was Lesley Vainikolo. The Volcano was soon to erupt, rising above Mark Jones to claim Wilkinson's cross kick. By the time he had landed the former rugby league man had slipped the ball inside to Flood, who went over for a 16-3 lead in the 23rd minute.

Wales were fumbling repeatedly... showing little of the snap that might have been expected from the new charges of Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards. Wales's latest coaching duo had selected 13 players from the Neath-Swansea Ospreys, perhaps in the hope that it would enable them to hit the ground running. For most of the first 50 minutes it did not work.

England should have capitalised, their dominance of the second quarter in particular was total and reached its pitch just before the break. Balshaw gave himself some precious credit points by taking a quick line-out that sent Paul Sackey off. Haskell picked up on the theme and England were into the Wales 22. Haskell appeared again, this time putting Sackey away, but heroic efforts from Hook and Huw Bennett put enough doubt into the referee's mind to refer matters upstairs.

It was a lengthy delay by the video referee, with the noisy majority at Twickenham making their views clear. It did look probable that Sackey had scored, but it was not conclusive. And on such threads can a side's fate hang. The try was not given, and the teams ran off at the break with a mere 10 points between them.

By the time they had returned Rees was the third English player to have fallen. It will be a long week for Ashton and his troops as they try to raise morale as well as the many fallen bodies. He may have to fret, too, over the fate of Wilkinson.

England's fly-half did not enjoy his best game, but his most costly indiscretion may yet prove to be a high tackle on Jonathan Thomas that left the Welshman unfit to continue. It did not look malicious, but it did not look pretty. In that respect it was a moment of the first half to fit nicely with the horror show that was to develop for England in the second.

But what looks horrible to England, almost by definition, is beautiful to Wales. They could scarcely believe how gorgeous things were looking by the time proceedings had wound up here. It may yet launch them on a recovery from the horrors they faced themselves in France at the end of last year.